Whitman principal Alan Goodwin walked through the small halls of Bradley Hills Elementary School on his last day as interim assistant principal, taking it all in. Smiling teachers and students approached him, thanking him for his time and support.

Feb. 13 marked the end of Goodwin’s six-week tenure at Bradley Hills as part of the Principal Intern program. The program, in which both Bradley Hills and Whitman participated, prepares current assistant principals to serve as principals.

Students and teachers grew fond of Goodwin after getting to know him the past six weeks. Goodwin made an impression visiting classrooms, first grade teacher Holly Wittmann said.

“He just pops in and checks on the kids all the time,” she said. “He just really cares about the students and staff.”

Goodwin’s duties included formally and informally observing teachers, offering new ideas, dealing with discipline issues, and supervising bus duty.

The different processes and the environment of an elementary school were both a learning experience for Goodwin, he said. Communicating with students proved to be a challenge for Goodwin, having never worked in an elementary school before.

“You have to adjust to how you talk to an elementary school child versus a teenager,” he said. “You have to choose your words and tones more carefully.”

After observing classrooms at Bradley Hills, Goodwin returned with a new-found appreciation for the work that the faculty does, he said. The staff worked well together to keep younger students engaged.

Although the atmosphere between elementary and high school is quite different, Goodwin plans to bring back a higher level of engagement from Bradley Hills to Whitman.

“There’s a lot of love for learning here,” he said. “The kids are proud when they learn to read. They are proud when they can do a math problem. I want to try to bring that freshness into high school.”

In his time away from Whitman, Goodwin surrendered his duties to principal intern Karen Bryant, including attending athletic or other school events. Goodwin is ready to return to the action, he said, as the end of LLS month and winter sports approaches.

Although Goodwin is excited to be back at Whitman, his return is bittersweet. Goodwin will always remember the atmosphere and students at Bradley Hills.

“I’ll miss those bright faces that you see everyday,” he said. “They’re innocent and energetic and it’s a big responsibility, but I’ll miss those kids.”